Bayelsa: INEC shifts elections in eight constituencies

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rescheduled the House of Assembly elections in eight out of the 24 constituencies of Bayelsa State.

The affected constituencies will hold their elections on April 18.

The State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Baritor Kpagih, said in a statement on Friday that the affected councils are Ekeremor Constituencies 1, 2, and 3, Kolokuma/Opokuma Constituencies 1 and 2, Sagbama Constituencies 1 and 2 and Southern Ijaw Constituency 1.

But Kpagih said that the election would hold as scheduled in the other 16 constituencies on Saturday

He, however, stated that the election was shifted because of the position of stakeholders that election should not hold ‘without full complements of the ballot papers.’

He said: “Following the stand of the stakeholders ‎ that no election should take place in the State without full complement of ballot papers, having regard to the total PVC distributed, the State House of Assembly election slated for Saturday, the 11th of April, 2015, in Bayelsa State has been rescheduled to Saturday the 18th day of April, 2015 in the following constituencies…”

It was gathered that the political parties and their candidates insisted on the postponement because of irregularities ‎in the ballot papers for the constituencies.

It was further learnt that the number of ballot papers sent to the constituencies was inadequate.

INEC was said to have sent only 13,000 ballot papers out of 27000 to Southern Ijaw Constituency.

Also, it was learnt that 5000 ballot papers were available at the headquarters of the Ekeremor ‎Constituency 3, instead of 15,000 ballot papers.